Ms Orla Coyle:

On the zero-emissions building side of it, that conversation is ongoing at a European level to define the energy performance and buildings directive. Zero-emissions buildings, which relate to the operational side, are defined as very highly energy-efficient, with no carbon produced on site, so no fossil fuels, whether gas or oil, can be burned. All the energy is supplied by some form of renewable. That is the definition as set out in the energy performance and buildings directive. As I said, this is under discussion with all the member states and the conversation is ongoing.

On top of that, there is an embodied carbon requirement, that is, a calculation of the embodied carbon associated with any new building, as part of the EU directive. That is the second part. The zero-emissions building aspect relates to the operational side and there is an embodied carbon calculation associated with that.

As for the conversations we have been having and some of the research - the Deputy referred to the IGBC report - we have seen at a European level suggests the retrofit work being carried out, such as the installation of heat pumps and the targets we have set for retrofitting 500,000 homes, is the best in terms of the overall carbon associated with building when the embodied energy and the operational energy are both taken into account. As Mr. Meally said, we have commissioned additional research, which is ongoing, that will, we hope, be more Ireland-specific, so we will be able to take some learnings from that. We also have a number of other projects ongoing as part of our national retrofit package that will allow us to get the right balance in what we are trying to achieve. We are looking at when is the best time to install heat pumps in the context of the level of fabric upgrades that will need to be applied to the building. There are ongoing discussions seeking to get the best out of the retrofit market.